A letter to Siddharth

Ways to send a message. Put these in order, oldest first: carrier pigeons, the telegraph (1830s), the postcard, the telephone. Email and the mobile phone came much later, in the late 20th century. Each is faster than the one before. That speed is what this letter is about.

Social media helps us stay connected and learn, but stay safe: never share personal details, avoid strangers, and limit your time on it.

Who wrote it. Dr Verghese Kurien, known as 'the Milkman of India' for the White Revolution (the huge rise in India's milk production). He wrote this letter from Anand in 2005, to his grandson, Siddharth.

It begins: 'My dear Siddharth, When did I write to you last? I have trouble even remembering!'

Phone or letter? 'In today's fast-paced world we have become so addicted to instant communication that we prefer to use a telephone. But speaking on the telephone only gives us an immediate but fleeting joy.'

• addicted: unable to do without it;
• fleeting: lasting only a moment.

A fast-paced world, in his sense, is one where communication is quick but lacks depth.

'Writing is different.' A letter shares our thoughts about today, and it also 'becomes a possession that can be treasured and re-read over the years, with great, abiding pleasure.' (abiding = lasting a long time)

A phone call is over in minutes. A letter is something you can keep and read again.

A letter for later. 'You may not wish to read it all right away but, perhaps, a couple of decades or more from now, you will pick up these jottings (short notes) of mine again.' He expects the grown-up Siddharth to read it again, and to share it with his own generation as 'a glimpse of the world your grandparents lived in'.

His times. He started work soon after India became independent. Then, 'the noblest task… was to contribute in whatever way we could towards building an India of our dreams': a nation

• free from hunger and poverty;
• where people live with equal respect and love for one another;
• that would one day be among the foremost (leading) nations of the world.